In the Song of Solomon

Predominantly the words of a woman - describing her love for her bridegroom and his response to her and the observations of their family & friends peppered in here and there.

So many words from this woman - a few in our reading today that provide a glimpse of her love for her beloved

Please stand as we honor the reading of God’s Word

Song of Solomon 8:5–7 NIV

5 Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I roused you; there your mother conceived you, there she who was in labor gave you birth. 6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. 7 Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If one were to give all the wealth of one’s house for love, it would be utterly scorned.

THE WORD of GOD - FOR the PEOPLE of GOD

Explicit

Explicit - verse 5

Parents - mother conceiving & birth

There is descriptive language in this book of the Bible that causes many to blush

Women - Venus; Men - Mars

Reads like a romance novel

More than physical intimacy

Emotional - spiritual connection, too

Example

Example - verse 6

We see the power of love

Blazing fire

Seal over our:

Our heart - emotion

Our arm - physical

Beyond the grave - spiritual

Estate

Excellence - verse 7

Our possession can’t compare

Rivers - water make there own way

Yet love is more powerful than that

Sell all we have - can’t buy love

The worth of faith hope love cannot be calculated; just these things survive beyond our death

Paul says this of love:

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Emblem

Like Esther - no mention of God - but He is here

Jewish tradition - God & Israel

Christian tradition - Jesus & the Church

Church’s love for Jesus - the Bridegroom

Christian’s love for Jesus

The bond’s of love are strong

Paul drives this thought home in Romans:

Romans 8:38–39 NIV

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The love of God

The love of Jesus

Beautiful and Powerful between the church (the Bride) and Jesus (the Bridegroom)